The Second Junior Ashburnham English Song Awards Final, is to be held on the 21st of November, at Battle Abbey School, in Abbot’s Hall. Students from schools across Sussex, have been selected to compete for the prestigious award, and gain experience learning and performing a extensive repetoire of English Song. The event will begin at 7pm, and tickets are available from the following link.
Tickets to Junior Finals
Meet our Judges
Catherine Wyn-Rogers –
Catherine Wyn-Rogers has appeared extensively on the world opera stage and a regular guest of the Royal Opera, Covent Garden and Glyndebourne Festival Opera. Concert highlights in recent seasons include Elgar’s ‘Dream of Gerontius’ with Barenboim, a tour with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Andrew Davis in China, appearances at the Enescu Festival in Romania, concert performances and a recording of Britten’s ‘Peter Grimes’ with the Bergen Philharmonic conducted by Edward Gardener in Bergen, Oslo and London. As a recitalist, Catherine has appeared at major venues and festivals, including the Wigmore Hall in London, with pianists including, Roger Vignoles, Malcolm Martineau, and Julius Drake, and also with Chamber Groups such as the Nash Ensemble.
In her school days, she was a member of the Derbyshire singers of which she is now Hon. President. In her early professional life, Catherine was an ad hoc member of the BBC Singers, and has a special association with The Sixteen and Harry Christophers, most notably performing as a soloist in their critically acclaimed ‘Messiah’. Catherine studied at the Royal College of Music and is herself a member of the vocal faculty at the Royal Academy of Music, being made an Hon RAM in 2018.
Paul Nilon –
Paul Nilon has worked for many opera companies worldwide, but has close associations with Opera North, Garsington Opera, ENO and worked closely with Graham Vick at Birmingham Opera Company. Paul’s notable title roles at Opera North have included, Nemorino, Lensky, Orfeo, Idomeneo, The Dwarf, Croesus, Werther, and Tito in Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito. Other roles have included, Aschenbach, Britten’s Death in Venice (Garsington Opera and Gothenberg Opera), Grimoaldo, Rodelinda (Bolshoi Theatre Moscow), Ermione (Glyndebourne and Volkstheater Rostov), and took part in the world premiere of Jonathan Dove’s Life is a Dream, singing the Scribe Khovanshchina (Birmingham Opera Company).
Paul’s concert engagements have included working with the BBC Philharmonic, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and singing Rachmaninov’s The Bells and The Dream of Gerontius at the Three Choirs Festival, and has sung as a soloist with the Huddersfield Choral Society. Paul is a vocal tutor at the Royal Northern College of Music and regularly sits on the panel for British Youth Opera.
Pianist
Ashley Beauchamp –
Ashley grew up playing in orchestras and bands as part of Brighton and Hove Music Service, and went on to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama on their opera course. He is Head of Music and Co-Director of the Young Artist Programme at Waterperry Opera Festival, and Musical Director of the Glyndebourne Youth Opera. A passionate advocate for musical education, Ashley introduces thousands of people to the world of singing each year. He has a longstanding relationship with the educational departments of Glyndebourne and the Royal Opera House, among others, and regularly runs projects across the UK getting people of all ages and backgrounds into singing.
Upcoming highlights include conducting Glyndebourne’s ‘One Voice Festival of Singing’ Christmas Concert, assistant conductor and chorus master for Jonathan Dove’s world premiere of Uprising and assistant conductor for their revival of Il barbiere di Siviglia in 2025.
